Tag Archives: masterpiece comics

Masterpiece Comics wins an Ignatz Award!

Congratulations, R. Sikoryak!

Winner of the 2010 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Anthology or Collection
 — Masterpiece Comics (Drawn & Quarterly)

The Ignatz Awards, named for the character in the classic comic strip Krazy Kat by George Herriman, is a festival prize that recognizes outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning. The ballot is created by a panel of five cartoonists and is then voted on by the attendees at the Small Press Expo, held back in September. This offers a unique reflection of the views the professionals and their fans.  You can read a complete list of the winners here.

2009 Harvey Awards Nominees Announced!

The 2009 Harvey Awards Nominees have been announced with the release of the final ballot, presented by the Executive Committees of the Harvey Awards and the Baltimore Comic-Con. Named in honor of the late Harvey Kurtzman, one of the industry’s most innovative talents, the Harvey Awards recognize outstanding work in comics and sequential art. They will be presented August 28, 2010 in Baltimore, MD, in conjunction with the Baltimore Comic-Con.

Parsons Illustration Alum and Faculty member R. Sikoryak has been nominated for “Best Previously Published Graphic Album” for his book Masterpiece Comics.

Congrats to Bob on his continuing success with this fantastic piece of work!

R. Sikoryak at MoCCA: How Classics and Cartoons Collide

R. Sikoryak
How Classics and Cartoons Collide

June 15 – August 29, 2010

Original drawings from the book “Masterpiece Comics,” which adapts literary classics in the styles of famous cartoons.

Curated by Bill Kartalopoulos

Sikoryak and Kartalopoulos in Conversation
Thursday, July 15, 7pm

Comics chameleon R. Sikoryak inventively adapts canonical Western literature using the visual styles and characters of historical American comic books and comic strips. Among his many works produced over the past twenty years, Sikoryak has adapted Kafka’s The Metamorphosis in the style of Charles Schulz’s Peanuts, Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights in the style of Tales From the Crypt, and the Book of Genesis in the style of Chic Young’s Blondie. “More than a gag or a parody,” said exhibit curator Bill Kartalopoulos, “these thoughtful and intricately constructed dual adaptations suggest resonances that reflect upon each story’s pair of sources.”

R. Sikoryak: How Classics and Cartoons Collide: examines the artist’s intensive process by showcasing a selection of notes, sketches, and reference material from one of his longest and most ambitious narratives, 2000’s “Dostoyevsky Comics,” which adapts Crime and Punishment in the style of a mid-century Batman comic book. The exhibit also includes all ten original art boards for the final story, recently collected alongside Sikoryak’s other adaptations in his book Masterpiece Comics, published in 2009 by Drawn and Quarterly.

There will be a conversation between Sikoryak and Kartalopoulos on July 15 at 7PM. Admission for this event is $5, free for members of MoCCA.

About R. Sikoryak
R. Sikoryak is the author of Masterpiece Comics (Drawn & Quarterly).  His cartoons and illustrations have appeared in The Onion, The New Yorker, Nickelodeon Magazine, Mad, Fortune, and many other publications; he’s drawn for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Ugly Americans. Sikoryak teaches in the illustration department at Parsons The New School for Design and is an alum of the program. Since 1997, he has presented his cartoon slide show series, Carousel, around the United States and Canada.

About Bill Kartalopoulos
Bill Kartalopoulos teaches classes about comics and illustration at Parsons The New School for Design. He is a frequent public speaker and is the programming coordinator for SPX: The Small Press Expo and the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival. He writes about comics for Print Magazine, where he is a contributing editor, and reviews comics forPublishers Weekly. He is a member of the Executive Committee for the International Comic Arts Forum (ICAF), an annual academic conference devoted to comics. In 2008 he curated Kim Deitch: A Retrospective at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art in New York, NY. He lives in Brooklyn.

About Masterpiece Comics
Masterpiece Comics adapts a variety of classic literary works with the most iconic visual idioms of twentieth-century comics. Dense with exclamation marks and lurid colors, R. Sikoryak’s parodies remind us of the sensational excesses of the canon, or, if you prefer, of the economical expressiveness of classic comics from Batman to Garfield. In “Blond Eve,” Dagwood and Blondie are ejected from the Garden of Eden into their archetypal suburban home; Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray is reimagined as a foppish Little Nemo; and Camus’s Stranger becomes a brooding, chain-smoking Golden Age Superman. Other source material includes Dante, Shakespeare, Dostoyevsky, bubblegum wrappers, superhero comics, kid cartoons, and more.

R. Sikoryak and Isabel Samaras at APE in San Francisco

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One of the country’s most popular and vibrant alternative comics shows returns to its San Francisco home, The Concourse Exhibition Center, for another two big days of fall fun this October. APE, the Alternative Press Expo, rolls into the city by the bay on October 17 and 18, 2009.  Parsons Illustration Alums R. Sikoryak (also adjunct faculty!) and Isabel Samaras will be appearing at APE for a Pop Perversity event, and Bob will be doing signings of his new book, Masterpiece Comics.  Here are the details:

Saturday, October 17

11:00am APE Opens
12-3pm Marc Signing
1-3pm R Sikoryak Signing
3-5pm Anders Signing
7:00pm APE Closes

Sunday, October 18

5:00–5:45 Pop Perversity: Parody in Comics and Art—Isabel Samaras (On Tender Hooks) and R. Sikoryak (Masterpiece Comics), parodists from the worlds of art and comics, show their work and describe how their sharp, sly images blur the boundaries between the popular and the profound, the propagandistic and the profane. Parody is a familiar part of our culture, but when done right it can still shock and awe, revealing deep truths while it makes us cackle.

The APE programming room is located adjacent to the Exhibit Hall.

11:00am APE Opens
12-3pm Marc Signing
1-3pm R Sikoryak Signing
3-5pm Anders Signing
6:00pm APE Closes

The Concourse
620 7th Street
San Francisco

http://www.comic-con.org/ape/ape_prog.shtml

Comics History/New York History events

boss tweed

The New York Center for Independent Publishing presents:

Comics History/New York History

New York City was the birthplace of the modern comic book, and the city has had a starring role in some of the greatest and most influential work the medium has produced. The New York Center for Independent Publishing will be presenting a series of events looking at the rich history of Comics and the City. Join us at our historic building at 20 West 44th Street as we explore the city through comics, from Riverdale to the Baxter Building, from Dropsie Avenue to Forest Hills, to untangle the relationship between the world’s greatest city and the comics that chronicle its history. Visit  www.nycip.org for more information!

New York Comics as New York History
Tuesday, October 20, 6:30 pm

Comics historian Kent Worcester will explore the connection between the city’s familiar streetscapes and the development of the comic book from the 1930s and 1940s to the post 9/11 era – looking at the ways comics history has mirrored the ups and downs of the quintessential American metropolis.

Cartooning and New York City Politics
Tuesday, November 3rd, 6:30 pm

Boss Tweed may have been the most powerful man in the City, but he was still tormented by Thomas Nast’s biting cartoons. Parsons Illustration faculty member Bill Kartalopoulos will host a panel exploring the interaction between political cartoons, New York City politicians, and the public.

New York, the Super-City
Tuesday, March 9th, 6:30 pm

New York served as the model for Gotham City, inspired Will Eisner as he created the noirish adventures of The Spirit, and became a recurring character during the 1960s resurgence of Marvel in comics such as Spider-Man and Iron Man. ForeWord Magazine contributing editor Peter Gutiérrez will moderate a talk on the relationship between superheroes and their favorite hometown… and on how comics culture has promoted potent and memorable images of New York to readers worldwide.

“Carousel” in New York

Tuesday, April 20th, 6:30 pm

The series closes with a multimedia presentation hosted by R. Sikoryak, Parsons faculty member and author of Masterpiece Comics. This event will feature work and performances from some the of the top comics artists working in New York.

Admission is $15, $10 for Members, and $5 for students.

R. Sikoryak at Strand Books tomorrow and SPX this weekend!

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The Strand and Drawn & Quarterly Present R. Sikoryak (Masterpiece Comics) and R.O. Blechman (Talking Lines).
Thursday, September 24, 2009 7:00 PM
Slide Shows, Q+A and Signing

NYC is abuzz with excitement over R.O. Blechman and R. Sikoryak joint presentation of their new D+Q books at the Strand this Thursday night at 7 PM. Both R. and R.O. will be presenting slide shows, taking questions and signing the night away. Don’t miss this event! The Village Voice recommends the event by the two “talented satirists” as does the New Yorker.

Need more convincing than that? Well, Steven Heller chose Blechman’s Talking Lines last week to talk about in his Daily Heller column at Print where he states: “All of [Blechman’s] books are a joy, but the bottom line: This one is exceptional.” And there are two interviews with Sikoryak, check them out! The NY Daily News and Publishers Weekly.

For more information visit: www.strandbooks.com

SPX2009

D+Q To Exhibit at the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, MD
Saturday and Sunday, September 26 & 27th, 2009

Signings by Kevin Huizenga, John Porcellino and R. Sikoryak!
Porcellino’s MAP OF MY HEART to debut!

Come say hello to Drawn & Quarterly’s Jessica Campbell and Alison Naturale, as well D+Q cartoonists Kevin Huizenga, John Porcellino and R. Sikoryak.

Sikoryak signing and event schedule:

Saturday, September 27th
1:00 pm- R. Sikoryak spotlight in White Flint Amphitheater
2:00-4:30pm- R. Sikoryak signing


Sunday, September 28th

12:00-1:00 pm- R Sikoryak signing
1:30 pm- Source Based Comic discussion w/ R. Sikoryak, Kate Beaton, Paul Karasik, Ed Piskor
3:00-5:00pm- R Sikoryak signing

For more information: http://www.spxpo.com/

Drawn & Quarterly at the Brooklyn Book Fair (feat. R. Sikoryak!)

d/q signing

Drawn & Quarterly to exhibit at the Brooklyn Book Fair/Festival on Sunday, September 13th!
20th Anniversary Party at Brooklyn’s Rocketship on Saturday, September 12th!
Guy Delisle, R. Sikoryak, R.O. Blechman, Adrian Tomine, Gabrielle Bell and Ron Rege Jr!

For the third year in a row, D+Q will be exhibiting at the Brooklyn Book Festival. The festival has kindly invited Guy Delisle (Burma Chronicles, Pyongyang, Shenzhen) to be a special guest on the festival’s international stage, which will mark Delisle’s first-ever NYC event. D+Q cartoonists in attendance will be [Parsons Illustration Alum and Faculty] R. Sikoryak (Masterpiece Comics), R. O. Blechman (Talking Lines), Adrian Tomine (Shortcomings), Gabrielle Bell (Cecil & Jordan In New York) and Ron Rege Jr. (Skibber Bee Bye, Against Pain). To celebrate such a momentous gathering of D+Q cartoonists as well as toast to the company’s 20th Anniversary, please join us for cocktails at the Brooklyn purveyor of fine comics, Rocketship, on Saturday evening.

Saturday, September 12th, 7:00 PM
Rocketship, 208 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY
http://rocketshipstore.blogspot.com/

Sunday, September 13th, 10:00AM-6:00 PM
Brooklyn Book Festival, Borough Hall, Brooklyn NY
http://www.visitbrooklyn.org/festival.html

11:00 AM Guy Delisle on the BBF’s International Stage
11:00-12:00 PM Gabrielle Bell & Ron Rege Jr signing
12:00-2:00 PM Guy Delisle & Adrian Tomine signing
2:00-4:00 PM R. O. Blechman & R. Sikoryak signing
4:00-6:00 PM Guy Delisle & Gabrielle Bell signing

All signings will be at the Drawn & Quarterly booth!

R. Sikoryak Events at Comic-Con this weekend!

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POP PERVERSITY panel at Comic-Con

Featuring
Parsons Illustration Alum Isabel Samaras (On Tender Hooks),
Ron English (Popaganda)
Parsons Illustration Alum and Faculty R. Sikoryak (Masterpiece Comics).

Moderated by Colin Berry (On Tender Hooks). Parodists from the worlds of art and comics show how their sharp, sly images blur the boundaries between the popular and the profound, the propagandistic and the profane. Parody is a familiar part of our culture, but when done right it can still shock and awe, revealing deep truths while it makes us cackle.

Friday, July 24 • 6 – 7 pm • Room 32AB

*****
Sikoryak-cover-sm

R. Sikoryak signing his new book at Comic-Con
Drawn and Quarterly table  number 1529

San Diego Convention Center

Yes, this is it, folks, the busiest, most hectic week of the year! We will be in our usual booth, number 1529, around all of our peers and friends, Fantagraphics, Top Shelf, Giant Robot, and more so please stop by to say hi, get a book signed by Seth, R. Sikoryak and Jason Lutes.

“What?” you say..”a book by R. Sikoryak?!?” Yes, years in the making, we present to you this week in its full color glory, the debut of Masterpiece Comics, which gets a lovely starred review in this week’s Publishers Weekly and last week, Bob was interviewed by the DailyCrosshatch. We will also have plenty of super-duper double-sided Masterpiece Comics posters to give away with each purchase of the book.

Thursday, July 23
5:00-7:00 Seth + R. Sikoryak signing

Friday, July 24
12:00-2:00 R. Sikoryak signing
3:30-5:00 R. Sikoryak signing
6:00-7:00 Pop Perversity Panel featuring R. Sikoryak (Room 32AB)

Saturday, July 25
12:00-2:00 Seth + R. Sikoryak signing
4:00-6:00 R. Sikoryak + Seth signing

Sunday, July 26
12:00-3:00 Jason Lutes + R. Sikoryak signing

*****

Also, please join the Cartoon Art Museum at booth #1930 for its Third Annual Sketch-A-Thon at the San Diego Comic-Con this summer.  Artists will be drawing for the museum all weekend to raise funds to support the Cartoon Art Museum as it gears up for its 25th anniversary celebration this December.  Special guests include Phil Foglio (Girl Genius), Jeff Keane (The Family Circus), Keith Knight (K Chronicles), Bobby London (Dirty Duck), David Lloyd (V for Vendetta), Ted Naifeh (How Loathsome), and many, many more.

Thursday, July 23
12pm-1pm:  Phil Foglio
1pm-2pm:  Lisa Ann Wilson, Rudy Reyes
2pm-3pm:  Ted Naifeh
3pm-4pm:  Bobby London
4pm-5pm:  Zach Weiner
5pm-6pm:  Debbie Huey
6pm-7pm:  Brian Kolm

Friday, July 24
12pm-1pm:  Brian Kolm, Ron Yavnieli
1pm-2pm:  Anthony Hon
2pm-3pm:  Susie Cagle, Keith Knight
3pm-4pm:  Bobby London, Scott Shaw!
4pm-5pm:  Dirk Tiede, David Lloyd
5pm-6pm:  Mike & Doug Gray

Saturday, July 25
11am-12pm:  Batton Lash
12pm-1pm:  Karen Luk, Brian Kolm
1pm-2pm:  Derek Kirk Kim, Jason Thompson
2pm-3pm:  Jeff Keane, Ryan Germick
3pm-4pm:  Bobby London
4pm-5pm:  Rick Parker
5pm-6pm:  Daniel Salcido
6pm-7pm:  Lanny Liu, Jason Thompson

Sunday, July 26
12pm-1pm:  Ron Yavnieli, Charlie Roberts
1pm-2pm:  Lisa Ann Wilson
2pm-3pm:  Charles Yoakum
3pm-4pm:  Daniel Salcido
4pm-5pm:  R. Sikoryak

R. Sikoryak’s new book–Masterpiece Comics

camussuperman

Adjunct Faculty and Illustration Alum R. Sikoryak has new book coming out in September and Time Out NY gave a sneak peak slideshow awhile back. Above and below are a couple of choice visual excerpts and here is the official description of the book:

Masterpiece Comics, a new book that reimagines classic literature in the style of well-known comics (including Shakespeare’s Macbeth in the style of old newspaper strip Mary Worth)

garfieldfaustus

You can see the whole slideshow here–it’s worth it!  Additionally, Bob was interviewed on WFMU back in April  You can listen to the podcast over in the WFMU Speakeasy archives.  He talks about his new book as well as his work with Carousel, a ongoing series of cartoon slide shows & other projected pictures presented by a glittering array of artists, performers, graphic novelists, & other characters.

maryworthmacbeth

Congratulations, Mr. Sikoryak–can’t wait for the book!

1st Sundays featuring R. Sikoryak

1st SUNDAYS COMEDY FILM FESTIVAL
Special Howl Festival Show
featuring Arts of the East Village and the Lower East Side

“Videos by Dale Goodson”
written and directed by Dale Goodson
East Village poet, comedian and filmmaker Dale Goodson
presents works from days gone by, as well as a world premiere.

“Masterpiece Comics”
written & directed by R. Sikoryak (Parsons Illustration Alum & Faculty member!)
Literary masterpieces and comics as you’ve never seen them before.
(In glorious Powerpoint!)

“Masters of the Universe”
written and directed by Kevin Maher
Kevin Maher bares a bit of his soul.  And plays the bongos.

“Why, Grandma?”
written and directed by Chandler Simms
Part of the “Wanna Be a Star” contest, starring audience member Polina Roytman!

Sunday, September 7th, 6:00pm
at the BOWERY POETRY CLUB
308 Bowery (between Houston and Bleecker)
$10 ($7.00 for students)